New Jersey child row: Grandfather hopeful of Centre’s help

The Indian embassy in U.S. on Monday contacted Nirmal Krishna Saha, the grandfather of one-year old Indrashish, whose parents have had their access to him restricted by the Child Protection Team of the State of New Jersey since September 6. The child had suffered head injuries last month after falling from his bed.

“I received a call from Indian embassy in the USA late in evening. They asked me for the contact numbers of my son Debashish residing in New Jersey. We are hopeful that Government of India will take measures to ensure that the child is returned to the parents,” Mr. Saha told The Hindu over telephone from his home in Balurghat, in West Bengal’s Dakshin Dinajpur district.

Mr. Saha is now drafting a letter, seeking the intervention of various authorities. “The child is expected to be released from the hospital on Monday. We do not know where he will be taken from there,” said Pamela Saha, the child’s mother, adding that the parents were allowed to meet the child for only two hours every week.

Mrs. Saha, who is with her husband in New Jersey, said they were busy hiring a lawyer to plead their case at a local New Jersey court when the matter comes up for hearing on September 14.

The child’s family members had said that the Child Protection Team from the Division of Youth and Family Services of the State of New Jersey had argued before the local court on September 7 that it was not safe to allow the child to return home to his family and that they would take the child’s custody.

The court had asked then asked the child’s parents to appear before it on September 14 with a lawyer.

Meanwhile, senior State Congress leader Omprakash Mishra sent a letter to External Affairs Minister S.M. Krishna asking him to take “every conceivable measure through diplomatic channels” and provide “effective legal assistance” to the family in this matter.